


Cognition

by HanaHimus



Category: Persona 5, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: A fic not about Reiji Kido? Shocking I know, Gen, P1 Spoilers, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 06:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14665539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaHimus/pseuds/HanaHimus
Summary: Wakaba Isshiki, a job, and inspiration for her research.





	Cognition

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote some stuff about Wakaba... Featuring Setsuko, Kandori, and Sojiro! Sojiro and Kandori are surprisingly fun to write, ngl. I can't write them, but they're fun to write.
> 
> Another title for this: I try and find ways to link P1 and P5 together Yet Again and will continue to do so until Atlus does something with this potential

Wakaba Isshiki had never thought she would work at a place like SEBEC. For one, her interest in cognitive research didn’t fall in line with  _ anything  _ an energy company did… But it helped pay the bills while she finished up school and tried to find just what she wanted to put her time and energy into specifically. Not that she didn’t have time to do that, seeing as she’d just recently started college…

“Isshiki-san.” A hand on Wakaba’s shoulder pulled her out of her idle thoughts. “I know you’re new, but… Kandori-san won’t react well to someone slacking off.”

“Sonomura-san, I’m sorry!” She shook her head with a frown. “I guess it’s just hard for me not to think about how funny this all is.”

Setsuko rose an eyebrow. “Funny?”

“Oh, it’s just that when I was being interviewed I talked in detail about the fact the cognitive world is where my interest mainly lies, and that my previous teachers and professors seemed to believe I’m a bit of a prodigy with that sort of work…” Wakaba looked away, nerves growing and words spilling as she spoke. “Kandori-san said I was perfect for the job then! I’m not sure how, but…”

“I see…” Setsuko put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. “Well, today you’re likely going to find out why you were hired.”

“Just now? I’ve been working here for two weeks, Sonomura-san!”

“That’s usually the amount of time it takes Kandori-san to decide if he trusts someone with this project or not…” Setsuko paused. “Maybe that’s what I overheard him talking about.”

“Sonomura-san…?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Setsuko shook her head. “It’s just not going to be what you expected to do here at SEBEC, I can tell you that much.”

Wakaba frowned, arms crossing. All she’d done was file some paperwork and write up status reports on some projects. What else could she expect? It wasn’t like she knew enough about the projects going on here to be of much use! Maybe this was Setsuko’s attempt at hazing her…?

“Isshiki.”

Wakaba jumped at the sound of Takahisa Kandori, her boss. When had he walked up to them and why was Setsuko walking away with a mumbled ‘excuse me’ at the sight? Takahisa was a bit scary at times, but she didn’t see why some people in SEBEC avoided him so much…

“Kandori-san.” She turned to him, giving him a nod. “Do you need something, sir?”

“Yes, follow me. I think Sonomura put it well, you’re going to find out why you were truly hired.” He turned on his heel as Wakaba gave a nod and began walking, leaving the woman to follow after him.

She did, mouth shut tightly. Neither talked as Takahisa led her to his office and… Into an elevator hidden within it. She could feel her worry and discomfort grow in this silence, the sound of Takahisa’s Baoding Balls clacking together. Every time they did so, Wakaba wanted to ask him to stop…

She never did so, though. The elevator came to a stop and she followed him off it and down the halls. This looked like some sort of secret base, honestly. She wanted to laugh it off, pretend this wasn’t happening… But she knew that wasn’t a good idea. Based off what she’d seen and heard about Takahisa, she would need to stay on her A-game.

She just hoped she could tell someone about this later.

“Here we are, Isshiki…” Takahisa chuckled as doors in front of them were opened. “This is what you’ll truly be assisting with. This is the DEVA System.”

\--

Wakaba knew her interest in the DEVA System and, more specifically Maki Sonomura and her headspace, wasn’t good. But now that things seemed to be going to hell, the world in the girl’s mind bleeding over into the real one thanks to the system, she couldn’t help but be excited. Was this what the System could do with the power of one’s cognition?!

She wanted to ask Takahisa about this, ask what exactly the System was doing… But she didn’t get the chance. First a boy had appeared, looking as wild as all hell. He’d had a one track mind about finding Takahisa, ignoring any question Wakaba or the scientists targeted him with.

All they were left with was confusion and worry. Confrontations with Takahisa Kandori weren’t usually ones that ended with the other party unscathed, after all… She just hoped the boy’s anger and apparent strength were able to help him.

She guessed she got something even better shortly after, though. More high schoolers, wearing the same uniform, appeared… And who was among them other than Maki Sonomura, looking as healthy as could be. There was no way this was the actual girl, no.

This had to be someone from the dream the real one had concocted for herself, in the flesh. If she had had any less restraint, she may have grabbed her by the arms, shook her and asked her what it was like… But the children seemed to be on the same mission as the boy before them.

Seeing as there’d been no word from said boy, she felt it was safe to say he had failed. It would be interesting to see if this group with the false Maki Sonomura would have any better luck against Takahisa.

Well, no matter what happened, Wakaba was sure of one thing. She knew what she was going to dedicate her life to.

\--

“So, you’re looking into the cognitive world within the human’s mind…?” Sojiro frowned at his friend, arms crossed. “Where’d you get that idea?”

“I told you, it was at a job I was doing in my early years of college…” Wakaba let out a yawn. “The idea came to me and I haven’t stopped trying to learn about it since!”

“Not for anything?”

“Nope.”

Sojiro laughed, shaking his head. “You had enough time to get a kid.”

“One night break when things go weird in the city you move to doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, Sojiro…” Wakaba pat her belly with a roll of her eyes. “It’s fine, anyway… This just means I’ll have a daughter to spend time with after all the work is done.”

“You think so…?” Sojiro gave her a small smile. “At least you’re looking at it as a positive, huh?”

“Positives make it easier to make more headway…” She tapped a finger against the table. “If I get caught up on the bad, I’ll just get stuck, after all!”

“That’s fair enough.” He gave a nod. “So, what you gonna name the kid?”

She thought for a moment, fingers tapping along the table, pattern similar to a sound she’d heard often enough at SEBEC. “I was thinking… Futaba.”


End file.
